Eva Longoria never had a single doubt about her rise to fame.
The 50-year-old actress, producer, and director is now a Hollywood staple thanks to her breakout role in Desperate Housewives and recent projects like Only Murders in the Building. But if you ask her, none of this was surprising, she always believed success was inevitable.
“When I look at the longevity I’ve had in this industry, it makes sense to me,” Eva shared in a new interview with Byrdie. “Of course, I’m going to work as hard as I can at whatever I do, and it just happens to be in this industry.” Her confidence was never accidental. Raised in a family of strong women, her mom, sisters, and aunts, Eva says she was surrounded by the kind of independence, intelligence, and generosity she wanted to embody herself.
She remembers early moments in her career where others were shocked by her success, but she wasn’t. “I remember the first time I was on a billboard and somebody said to me, ‘Oh my god, who would have thought?’ And I said, ‘Me. I thought it. I dreamt it’,” she said. Her point? You have to believe in yourself before anyone else does. “If you don’t champion yourself, who else is going to? That unwavering belief in yourself will take you so far.”
But even someone as driven as Eva evolves with time. Now at 50, she’s taking a much more curated approach to life. “When you’re young, you should say ‘yes’ to every opportunity so you can decide what you want to do in life,” she explained. “Now that I’m 50, I’m prioritizing differently. I’m curating my life to be very specific to what I want the next 50 years to look like.”
That shift is rooted in both experience and motherhood. Eva shares a six-year-old son, Santiago, with her husband, José Bastón. As a mom, she’s consciously choosing to spend more time with her family, take on fewer work projects, and do more of what brings her joy. “Being financially secure helps with those decisions,” she admitted, “but I feel I’ve worked hard enough to say ‘no’ now.”
Health is also a big part of that new perspective. While many in Hollywood fear the aging process, Eva embraces it, with a realistic twist. “I don’t mind aging. I just want to age well,” she said. “I’m grateful to be able to move my body and work out, hike up a mountain, and play with my son. I’m trying to be as mobile as possible for as long as possible.”
It’s not just about physical health either, it’s about building a life that feels good on every level. Her priorities today look nothing like they did 20 years ago, and that’s exactly how she wants it. Eva’s version of success is no longer about chasing every opportunity; it’s about choosing the ones that matter.
Even with all her career achievements, from sitcom fame to producing to activism, what stands out now is Eva’s clarity. She knew she’d succeed, she did succeed, and now she’s choosing what success means for her moving forward.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
